New Provost Is Here Acquaintance Rape

Volume XXXIII No.2 February/March 1990 The search is over: new provost is here fill the position of provost at Spelman. mulation, implementation and overall review are.” The search for Provost began last June. of academic, economic, and structural poli Dr. Simmons is the youngest daughter of The provost search committee consisted of cies. Under the direction of the President, she twelve, and a native Texan. Her education six faculty members and our own S SG A Presi will be the chief administrative officer of the includes a B.A. from Dillard University, and dent, Kandance Weems. Two-thousand let college. She will supervise the divisional and both an M.A., and a Ph.D. from Harvard ters were sent out to the college community departmental chairs and other senior officers University. As a deputy dean for faculty nationwide, and an ad was placed in the June of the institution. The Vice Presidents of affairs at Princeton for three years, she has 1989 edition of the Chronicle for Higher Student Affairs, Business and Financial Af had avid experience in the field of academic Education. The Committee received sev fairs and Development will continue to report planning and staffing. In her letter of intent, enty-seven responses; six persons were inter to Dr. Cole. Simmons comments that the most important viewed, and out of the six, one name was sub When Dr. Moreland was asked what qualification she brings to the task is “a mitted to Dr. Cole. specific qualities the committee was looking commitment to the exceptional kind of educa Dr. Lois B. Moreland, Chairperson for for in the candidates, she responded: “The tion Spelman embodies.” the Social Sciences Division and Director of person who elicits maximum respect, abso A woman of diversified abilities, Dr. the International Affairs Center at Spelman lute composure and will work well with our Simmons, is a welcome addition to an institu College for the A.U.C., was also the Chair President to provide an academic vision for tion of African-American women who are not Dr. Ruth Simmons, New Provost person of the Search Committee for Provost. the campus.” Dr. Cole simply responded to Photo courtesy of Princeton University afraid of challenge. When Dr. Cole was asked She felt that all the committee members were the same question: “the most competent and if she and the committee were looking spe honored to have been chosen because “the dynamic person that we could find.” The new cifically for an African-American woman to By Kimberly M. Gist President could have made the decision on position is expected to disperse the duties of fill the vacancy, she replied “No”, and then her own, she (Dr. Cole) didn’t have to open it the staff a great deal. Dr. Cole feels that since added with a wink “it’s a real plus that the Sometime this month the Spelman fac to faculty and students.” her road trips are increasing with her efforts to perfect candidate happened to be an African- ulty and its students will be endowed with a Dr. Simmons’ responsibilities in her new find the resources necessary to maximize the American woman.” welcome addition to the family. Dr. Ruth position will be extensive. In essence, she potential of the institution, someone is needed The Spotlight would like to thank Angela Simmons, formerly the Associate Dean at will be our President’s right-hand woman. As on campus. She commented with a smile: Getter, Secretary to the Search Committeefor Princeton University, will join our forces and Provost, she will be responsible for the for “academic progress is the center of who we Provost, for contributing to this article. Acquaintance Rape: A hidden epidemic on many campuses by Tayari A. Jones Contrary to popular belief, rapists are not book, / Never Called it Rape, is based on her cient data on the rapes of Black women to negative experiences many Black people have usually crazed night-stalking strangers who findings. Koss surveyed more than 6100 thoroughly explain these differences. had with interactions with the police. lurk in dark alleys at night, waiting for pretty students at 32 four-year and two-year col However, many scholars have formu Bell Hooks wrote in Zeta magazine that young college students to walk home from the leges. Her findings demonstrated the preva lated hypotheses which explain Kross’ find “In a white supremacist sexist society, all library alone. More often, the rapist is some lence of acquaintance rape. ings. Dr. Gayle Wyatt, professor at the Uni women’s bodies are devalued; but white one you know. Though many colleges and * One in six female college students had versity of California Los Angeles Neuropsy women’s bodies are valued more than those Universities are willing to openly discuss the experienced an attempted or completed rape. chiatric Institute, as quoted in Black Issues in of women of color.” possibility and danger of stranger rape, the * 84% of the women raped knew their Higher Education, says that socio-economic Although 90% of rapes are committed by more rampant incident of acquaintance rape attacker. status puts Black women more at risk. "Poor a rapist who is of the same race as the victim, is seldom as candidly confronted. Because of * Only 27% of the women whose sexual people are less able to protect themselves when there is a difference of race, 67% are this, acquaintance rape can be accurately assault met the legal definition of rape consid from the risks of the world.” She attributes committed by white men raping Black women. described as a hidden epidemic. ered the incident to be rape. Black women’s failure to report rape to the (continued on page 10) Due to many victims’ failure to report the * One in twelve male college students crime, it is difficult to get an accurate count of said he had committed an act that met the legal the number of rapes committed. According to definition of rape, but none of them consid Blacklssues inHigher Education, 6,000 rapes ered themselves to be rapists. Off campus students: Beware! are reported each year on college campuses Kross’ study represented a cross section alone. However, according to Law Enforce of college students. Seven percent of the stu ment Administration estimates, for every rape dents were African-American, 86% white, By Doreen Smith reported, 3 to 10 go unreported. Hence, it is 3% Hispanic and 1% Native American. possible that 18,000 to 60,000 women are Though there were no differences in the vic Off campus students be very aware one thing that cannot be avoided on tele raped each year on college campuses. timization among college students, Kross of the real possibilities of being a victim vision shows, in the news reports and on College students are considered to be a found that there were distinct differences in of a violent crime. Living off campus our streets: violent crimes. We are re high risk for rape. This is probably because of the way women of different races reacted to increases students’ chances of being at minded time and time again about the their ages. Rape victimization rates for women rape. For example, Black women were less tacked, especially while in transit. Stu dangers we, especially women, can en ages 16 through 24 is four times higher than likely to report a rape than white women. dents must take heed to the dangers that counter. One of our Spelman sisters the average for all women. However, Black women were three times as surround them and become more aware realized how serious those reminders Dr. Mary P. Koss, a professor of psychia likely to blame the perpetrator rather than of the possible threats of physical, emo should be taken. try at the University of Wisconsin, conducted themselves for the crime. Even though Black tional, and mental harm. On November 2, 1989, around 6:00 comprehensive studies of victimization and women are twice as likely as white women to In today’s society, there seems to be p.m., a junior at Spelman, who lives off sexual aggression among college students. A be victims of rape, it is difficult to find suffi (continued on page 9) Stcccteat 'Po-efo ‘DcatCOit Atelay Lovett Page 2 Page 5 Page 8 Page 12 Z Spelman Spotlight Page 2 CAMPUS NEWS Spotlight Investigation: Cafeteria Blues By Doreen Smith There seems to be an unwritten rule that forks (70%) needed to be wiped before using. though on some occasions the chili we ate on everyone who goes to school must complain Of the knives, about 5 out of 10 were found Tuesday seemed like the sauce poured over about the food. In fact, it is so common the dirty. our spaghetti on Thursday, we could not col complaints may not be taken seriously. But Another complaint dealt with the glasses. lect any solid evidence to substantiate this should they? The Spotlight decided to take According to Dean Hill, they are supposed to suspicion. The Spotlight hopes that the food some of the complaints commonly heard and be washed, as well as put through the dish we receive is the best that it can be. put them to the test. washer. Apparently this is not always the We suggest that you try your own inves One of the complaints was the cleanli case, because during our investigation, lip tigation and send us the results. If you still ness of the silverware. When examining 10 stick was often found around the edges. feel uneasy about the dirty silverware and forks and knives on two separate occasions, Now, the final complaint we decided to possibly reused meat, all we can say for now Students search for clean siverware.

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